- Conduct a paper test. Make sure refrigerator door seals are airtight by closing the door over a piece of paper. If you can pull the paper out easily, the latch may need adjustment, the seal may need replacing, or you may consider buying a new unit.
- Adjust the temperature. To be most efficient, set the refrigerator temperature in the 37-40 degrees F range. For the freezer, shoot for between 0-5 degrees F.
- Check for blue flames. In natural gas appliances, like your gas range stove, yellow flames indicate the gas is burning inefficiently and an adjustment may be needed.
- Let your dishwasher do the work. Dishwashers require less than one-third the water it would take to hand-wash dishes. Scrape - don't rinse - food off dishes before loading them. Pre-rinsing can waste up to 20 gallons of water!
- Look for the ENERGY STAR®. ENERGY STAR qualified refrigerators can save you up to $1,100 over the lifetime of the product. DCSEU rebates up to $100 are available for qualifying models. An ENERGY STAR qualified dishwasher will also help you save, using only 5.8 gallons of water or less per cycle.
5 Steps to Save Energy in Your Kitchen
